We received a call from Cairns Kuranda Steam who operate as Cairns Rail about the Savannahlander. 

BDO Robert called me about the petition we created asking for action by FNQ rail operators and QLD government to make changes by adding a realistic price for locals.  He said a subsidy is required by QLD TMR to make it viable, then private QLD tourism operators would support the idea by supplying a trial to find out how much the train would be used. 

He said 3 trains would be required, one for use, one for standby, one getting maintenance.  It would seem relevant that you buy the extra trains once the need was established? 

He said QLD rail own the network and the maintenance is split between private business such as a Cairns/Kuranda Steam and state government, and that heavy regulations around speed make travel not viable for a public timetable in comparison to driving to Cairns CBD.  

With current traffic congestion, it takes the same amount of time to get to the Cairns CBD in peak hour as it would take to use the rail in its current form.

APT Kuranda think what needs to happen is a committed rail trial of a business hours timetable from Kuranda to Cairns.  This would alleviate many of the issues regarding the range, Barron Bridge and environmental concerns.  

In regard to tourism in the region, we propose a once a week night train for the markets.  Tourism should be part of communal life, not the other way around! 

We thankyou for supporting APT Kuranda, please keep signing sharing and join our FB page! ✌�